La Pedrera/Casa Mila

La Pedrera is an apartment building designed by Gaudi and therefore isn't your normal apartment building. It was just two short blocks away from our hotel and we had managed to print our our tickets in the Hotel's Business Center as the wi-fi in our room wasn't working-this meant no waiting to get in.

Built between 1906 and 1910, commissioned by Señor Pere Mila. People live here!

We started at the roof as we had read it was "different" and spectacular. There is an elevator to take you up there. We'll go down inside the building in the next blog. The apartments have fireplaces for the Barcelona winter and the chimneys of course have that Gaudi style.

La Pedrera means "the quarry" which is rather  a criticism of the rough hewn style of the stonework.
It's a "nickname" as it's real name is Casa Mila.

 Every now and then I take shots of the surrounding neighborhood...

La Sagrada Familia

The roof undulates and is the opposite of "flat" so watch where you are stepping

Carol is taking her own shots

There are tourists therefore there are fire exits

Apartments in the center get light through an open space in the roof

Balconies are small but that was way before Balcony Furniture had been invented

A look across Passeig de Gracia at the Modern World

The many tourists are widely dispersed up here

 A spacious rooftop patio on the house at bottom right....when I think Barcelona I immediately think-outdoor living!

 Carol finds a bench and takes it all in. She is in Architectural Heaven.

 Selfie sticks are sold on the street everywhere in Europe

That's the elevator tower at left and we are going to go down and explore the interior....